61st Annual STS (2001–2002)
Finalists
Mordechai Joseph Bronner

NEW YORK
Mordechai Joseph Bronner, 17, of Cedarhurst, tackled the problem of tire tread separation for his Intel Science Talent Search project in engineering. He believes his research has determined that carbon black, a chemical added to tires to improve such characteristics as hardness and heat resistance, also hinders molecular adhesion between different rubbers. After determining that the source of this separation problem was chemical and not the manufacturing process, Mordechai set about finding a solution by varying every possible component of the tire's chemical-substrate system. This involved repeating the same experiment more than 300 times, producing a huge amount of data which will be published in at least three papers in Macromolecules, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society. Mordechai plans to continue his study of chemical engineering at Princeton. At the Rambam Mesivta school in Lawrence, Mordechai is in the science and math clubs and on the soccer, chess and debate teams, as well as founder of a program to teach students how to do research and prepare papers. He plays both the piano and violin, and is the son of Leonard and Malka Bronner.